Automated bulk processing equipment rapidly sorts bulk articles including meat chunks, raw or processed fruit, vegetables, wood chips, recycled plastics and other similar products. Typically, articles are moved along a conveyor and inspected optically by means of a photo-electric detector. The articles can be characterized and sorted according to size, color, shape or other qualities. For example, stems and debris can be separated from fruit, fruit and vegetables can be reliably graded and sorted, lean meat chunks can be separated from fat meat chunks, and discolored or otherwise defective articles can be separated. Modern bulk optical processing equipment can rapidly separate very large quantities of articles into numerous categories.
Such equipment typically includes a conveyor system that moves articles in a single layer past an inspection station where cameras or other detection devices examine the articles. The inspection station sends signals to a sorting or treatment station where the articles are sorted or otherwise treated according to information received from the inspection station. For example, foreign or defective articles may be removed from the flow of articles carried by the conveyor system. Frequently, unacceptable articles are removed by directing an accurately timed blast of fluid, such as compressed air, at the article as it is projected from the conveyor belt in order to direct it out of the process flow. Separation takes place at a location in the transport system where the articles are unsupported so that defective articles can easily be removed from the stream. Acceptable articles are collected in a product outfeed location such as a product outfeed chute, while unacceptable articles are directed into a reject outfeed location such as a reject outfeed chute.
One type of conventional automated bulk processing system is illustrated in FIG. 1. Articles are delivered to conveyor belt 10 moving in direction 12 by infeed system 14. Conveyor belt 10 travels at a velocity high enough to project articles from the conveyor belt 10 in a trajectory 16 toward product outfeed chute 18. The articles pass through an inspection station 20 comprising light modules 22 and 22' operably connected to camera module 24. Unacceptable articles are removed from the flow of articles along trajectory 14 by means of a fluid blast from a fluid ejection manifold 26 which directs the article in a direction 28 out of the trajectory 16. An elongated flat separation panel 30 separates product outfeed chute 18, where acceptable articles are collected, from reject outfeed chute 32.
During processing of meat, trim pieces of meat are produced which typically contain about 50% fat and 50% lean meat. In order to render this meat acceptable for human consumption in hamburgers, hot dogs, etc., the fat content must be reduced to about 25%, generally by adding lean meat to the 50% fat mixture. In order to achieve this lowering of fat content, trim meat pieces having lean meat portions and fat meat portions are first divided into smaller sized, preferably cubic, meat chunks of higher lean meat content and meat chunks of higher fat content, by means of an automated cutter. The meat chunks are passed through an inspection station where an optical property related to either the lean meat content or fat content of the chunks is detected. Meat chunks of high lean content are then separated from meat chunks of high fat content and are directed into either a lean meat outfeed chute or a fat meat outfeed chute, separated by a separation panel.
Due to the randomness of the shape of the trim meat pieces and the mixed lean and fat composition of the trim meat pieces prior to cutting, the output of the automatic cutter tends to be somewhat random. As a result, the meat chunks are not perfect cubes and successive meat chunks are often connected by stringy tissue. These interconnected meat chunks frequently wrap across the edge of the separation panel between the lean meat outfeed chute and the fat meat outfeed chute. Over time, the build-up of meat chunks on the separation panel blocks the flow of product through the sorting station, causing the equipment to jam.